A Children’s Bedtime Prayer

As children, we have parents who teach us to pray before we sleep. But why do they always tell us that? It’s because God is our God. He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, almighty God Who reigns over everything. That is why we should pray to God—because we are worshipping Him (Psalm 95:6), (Psalm 29:2), (Psalm 103:19). When praying, we pray not so that we can impress other people. That is why, if we pray during our time with God, it is best to pray when we are alone. Praying is also communication with God. Therefore, we should not pray with repetitive prayers or empty phrases because praying is about talking with God. Also, when we pray, remember that God is our heavenly Father. Yes, He is a God Whom we should fear and revere, but also, He is our Father. You can approach God as your Father because you have been adopted as God’s child in Christ. 

Philippians 4:6–7

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:6-7

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Mark 11:24

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Ephesians 1:5

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Hebrews 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Knowing that in Christ, God is your Father, here is a prayer that you can pray:

Heavenly Father, I thank You because through what Jesus did for me on the cross, I am adopted as Your son/daughter. Through Christ, I can approach Your throne of grace in which I can receive mercy and find grace to help me in my time of need. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What is a good prayer to say before bed?

As mentioned above, remember that God is your Father. In other words, you can pray or talk to God about anything. If there are things about tomorrow that make you anxious, by all means, pray about it to God before your sleep.

Here is a prayer you can pray as you pray to God about your anxieties and concerns:

Heavenly Father, I surrender to You the anxieties that I have. I thank You, Father, because I can cast my concerns and anxieties to You since You care for me. I thank You, Father, because knowing that You are the almighty God Who reigns above all, I can trust You and have peace no matter what tomorrow brings. I may face tribulations, but I shall take heart because Christ has already overcome the world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

That also means that you can pour it out to God if things have caused you stress at school or a problem happened. You can pray this prayer as you pour out your stress and problems to God:

Heavenly Father, give me the strength and the grace, LORD, to deal with my problems and concerns regarding my studies. I pray that these problems shall be resolved as soon as possible. Remind me, Father, that I can find peace and rest in Christ alone amid all the stress and difficulties. You are the source of my comfort, Father, in these times. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

You can also pray for protection for your home as you and your family go to sleep. Here is how you can pray for this:

Father in heaven, I pray for Your divine protection upon this household as we go to sleep. I pray that no evil shall come upon us. I also pray for a good and peaceful sleep for all of us and that we will be able to rest well as we face another day tomorrow. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Lastly, you can also take time to pray and thank God for the things that He has done for you throughout the day. That includes thanking God for even the everyday things in life. Here is an example of how you can thank God in your prayer before sleeping:

Heavenly Father, I thank You for all of Your grace and mercy today. Thank You for keeping me safe as I go to school and return home. Thank you also for keeping my Father and mother safe as they went where they needed to be. Thank You for the food and all the provision that we have received from You today. Thank You, Father, for sustaining us and helping me accomplish the things I needed to accomplish today. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What is a good Bible verse for bedtime?

There are several good Bible verses for bedtime as you pray. One is from Philippians 4:6–7 where it is written:

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Here is another good verse as well from 1 Peter 5:7:

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 

[1 Peter 5:7]

You can pray and cast all your concerns, problems, worries, and anxieties to God because He cares for You. When you submit them all in prayer to God, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. 

Also, as mentioned above, one of the prayers you can pray before going to sleep is a prayer of thanksgiving toward God for sustaining you for the day. As you give thanks to God for your day, here is a good verse from Psalm 107:1:

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

[Psalm 107:1]

When you pray for protection as you sleep, you can also read this verse from Psalm 91:9-10, where it is written:

“Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”

[Psalm 91:9-10]

You can sleep soundly and securely because God is your dwelling place. He is the One Who watches over You and in His sovereignty does not allow evil to befall upon you.

We pray to God every night before we go to bed because we want to talk to God, who is our heavenly Father. We do it out of our respect and reverence toward God and our relationship with Him; not because it is a routine, tradition, or because we want something from God as if He were a genie in a bottle. We can pray to God freely as His children because Christ has closed the gap between God and us. Jesus is the one mediating between God and us (Hebrews 4:14-16), (1 Timothy 2:5-6).